Kevin's Watch

As it's getting warmer here I don't really drink that much red wine anymore - maybe the odd glass of a light Chianti to accompany a lamb roast on the grill. But my desire for the strong and heavy southern Italians is more like a fall/winter thing. These days I rather feel like sitting outside on my patio and nipping at a longdrink/cocktail to celebrate the scarce moments of silence when the Vadress (4 years in July) is in bed and I'm not standing in front of 30 loud kids who can't tell a verb from a triangle and think "Ethics" is a city in Greece.

As with pasta sauces I am pretty much a traditionalist - the more original and the more simple the better. Why buy thousands of fancy liqueurs or sirups if you can have a great effect with simple and honest products?

If you don't mind every now and then I'd like to present a few of my favorite drinks in this thread. I wouzld also like to discuss things with interested co-drinkers, answer questions or ask for help myself. Of course I will always try to supply you with an alcohol free variation.

Anyway, today I opted for the famous Mojito.

Here's how I do it:

6cl/2oz finest Cuban white rum
juice of a lime (fresh)
2-3 tbs fine white cane sugar
crushed ice
6 fresh mint leaves
soda-water

highball glass, muddler/pestle

Add sugar, lime juice and mint leaves to the highball glass, lightly crush the herbs with a muddler without beating them to pulp.

Add rum and stir. Add crushed ice and fill up with soda-water. If you feel like it decoirate with a slice of lime and some more mint leaves.

For an alcoholfree variation replace rum and soda with ginger ale.

And of course always remember: if you're having a cocktail, longdrink or any drink whatsoever it's not always about getting drunk. Responsible drinking is the keyword - and never drink and drive.

I do like an occasional mojito!

I've seen (well, partaken of!) a few variations. The one that stands out in my memory had frozen raspberries added.

Yeah, just like adding strawberries to a Frozen Daiquiri to make it a Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri.

Red fruits always go well with traditional recipes.

Wait a few weeks and you'll get a Gooseberry Colada from me.

Wait a few weeks and you'll get a Gooseberry Colada from me.

Vader, I was starting to feel quite .... relaxed ... in the presence of your posts, and look forward to them in the gallery.

Now, however, I'm insanely raging jealous and you've spoilt it all! Do you have gooseberry bushes?????????????????? To have, to nurture, (and more importantly to gorge on the produce of) gooseberry bushes is possible one of my all time greatest aspirations!

Call me a Hun or a Kraut, but I have a bush in my garden that is already carrying truckloads of yet unripe gooseberries. But it looks promising. It's no big deal after all ...

Vader wrote:Call me a Hun or a Kraut, but I have a bush in my garden that is already carrying truckloads of yet unripe gooseberries. But it looks promising. It's no big deal after all ...

NO! BIG! DEAL!!?????


ARG! I'm as green as an unripe gooseberry!

Who's doing shots of mouthwash?
Who's puking up their dues?
Who's screwing on the top bunk?
And who fell off their shoes?
Who's smashing up the longnecks
Along the firewall?
Who's busting rails and breaking wind
In the bathroom stall?

We've worn out our welcome in every bar in town.
But before we get thrown out again, we'll burn this shithouse down.
We know we ain't too pretty, and we know we're outta line
And we're outta luck, but who gives a f*ck, we never spent a dime!

Who's dancing with a bar rag?
And singin' Elvis with the band?
Who's putting out their cigarrettes
on the back of someone's hand?
Who's playing with a Zippo
And a bottle of 151?
And who's going out for 'Loco
When the new day has just begun?

Those were the times I treasure most,
As screwy as they are.
Goin' out for days on end and stinkin' like a bar.
But then one got buried and another turned
Who used to be one of the slobs.
Now he's on the take and he's cutting off
'cause he says it's part of his job

C'mon, buddy, what's the fuss?
You know you're still one of us.
Stop acting like a worried mom.
C'mon, Let's go wake up Tom!
We'll crank the jukebox up real high
And have one on the little guy.
What's said is said, what's done is done.
Now shut up, drink up, be someone! (repeat)

Those days are no longer.
They're over, dead, and gone.
We ain't allowed in one place.
And where the hell is Tom?
So let the tap flow freely and let the music play.
Let's have another round on Hank
'Cause he would've done it this way!

and

And of course always remember: if you're having a cocktail, longdrink or any drink whatsoever it's not always about getting drunk. Responsible drinking is the keyword

wtf???

Not a big fan of Mojito's. Much too sweet for my tastes. Recently I've been partial to a cocktail called a "Diablo". I believe it was created in a bar in Copenhagen, Denmark called "NASA". I had never heard of one but I love Tequila so I decided to try it. It's distinctive and addictive.

You take 2 parts chilled tequila (I like Sauza or Tezon), 1 part chilled Midori and 1 part cold Cranberry Juice and add them to a shaker with ice. Give it a good shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. You can salt the rim like a margarita if you so desire (I love it with the salt). The colder the concoction the better. It's a great cocktail with a unique taste.

If anyone is brave enough to give it a try let me know what you think.

I love margaritas on the rocks with a salted rim, so that sounds right up my alley.
I'll let you know when I try one.

Stonemaybe wrote:

Who's doing shots of mouthwash?
Who's puking up their dues? ....

and

And of course always remember: if you're having a cocktail, longdrink or any drink whatsoever it's not always about getting drunk. Responsible drinking is the keyword

wtf???

Please make me smile when you learn from my trial
Maybe I pay the price saving your life for you

Brinn wrote:You take 2 parts chilled tequila (I like Sauza or Tezon), 1 part chilled Midori and 1 part cold Cranberry Juice and add them to a shaker with ice. Give it a good shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. You can salt the rim like a margarita if you so desire (I love it with the salt). The colder the concoction the better. It's a great cocktail with a unique taste

Is it white or brown Tequila?

Depends on your taste in Tequila. The drink has a distinctive tequila flavor that is cut by the presence of the midori. I'm sort of a Tequila afficionado and I've tried a few and found that I personally like the Reposado. But it truly depends on your tastes. I've found that the white (also known as silver or Blanco) typically has a much cleaner and stronger agave flavor. The gold (Oro) is flavored with sugar and or Caramel and has a sweeter flavor. Reposado, my choice, is white tequila that has been typically aged for up to 1 year. It sill has the nice agave flavor but is mellower and has some woody notes from the barrel aging process. You can even use Anejo which is white tequila aged for more than 1 year. Many of these are excellent but the price is typically the higher than the reposado. Tequila snobs would look down on you if you used Anejo in a mixed drink as it is supposed to be sipped at room temperature. I myself would not look down on anyone as Anejo is good stuff and makes a great Diablo!

I don't know tequila hardly at all...
...but I do like Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo.

Brinn wrote:Depends on your taste in Tequila. The drink has a distinctive tequila flavor that is cut by the presence of the midori. I'm sort of a Tequila afficionado and I've tried a few and found that I personally like the Reposado. But it truly depends on your tastes. I've found that the white (also known as silver or Blanco) typically has a much cleaner and stronger agave flavor. The gold (Oro) is flavored with sugar and or Caramel and has a sweeter flavor. Reposado, my choice, is white tequila that has been typically aged for up to 1 year. It sill has the nice agave flavor but is mellower and has some woody notes from the barrel aging process. You can even use Anejo which is white tequila aged for more than 1 year. Many of these are excellent but the price is typically the higher than the reposado. Tequila snobs would look down on you if you used Anejo in a mixed drink as it is supposed to be sipped at room temperature. I myself would not look down on anyone as Anejo is good stuff and makes a great Diablo!

Judging from your description Reposado might be perfect for a Tequila-Martini - stirred, not shaken.

Cabo Wabo is excellent but also very expensive. Again, let me know if either of you try a Diablo.

Brinn, thanks for the comments on tequila. I'm not a big coctail drinker--most are way too sweet--but I love the taste of tequila. So unique and earthy. I'm not a aficionado, but I can appreciate the flavor by sipping it at room temperature.

I'm afraid that Cuervo is about the limt of my experience (Gold, 1800, etc.). But I did have a tequila once at a party that the guy picked up in Mexico, at the distillery. It came in a round, spherical bottle with a thin neck. It was unbelievably good, nothing at all like any tequila I've ever had (um, I guess that means Cuervo ). That experience opened my eyes, and revealed a vast area of variety which I hadn't known existed. I guess it's the same for any beverage.

Any ideas which one this was?

Sounds like Corazon which, if it was, is widely available in the states. It's expensive like Cabo Wabo (near $50 a bottle in MA) but it's smoooooooooth as silk. Google it and tell me if that's what you had. If so did you have the Blanco, Reposado or Anejo?

P.S.

Vader, what's in a tequila martini?

Brinn wrote:P.S.

Vader, what's in a tequila martini?

The original "dry martini" drink is gin and dry vermouth (ideally Noilly Prat) stirred, but not shaken. (Gin doesn't like to be shaken too much for some reason). The more gin, the better. Some people say it's enough when the sun shines through the vermouth bottle into the glass.

The famous James Bond drink is a "vodka martini" where the gin is replaced by vodka. Bond prefered Russian vodkas, I like Finnish (Finlandia). Bond also wanted his drink shaken, not stirred.

Consequently a "tequila martini" would be tequila and dry vermouth (I suggest at least 4 parts tequila, 1 part dry vermouth - maybe even more tequila). Give it a few shakes in a shaker with crushed ice and strain in a martini glass. Serve with a slice of avocado. You could also add a drop of bitter (Angustura, for example) before shalking. Definitely not a sweet drink.

For all who say cocktails/drinks are too sweet - they are as sweet as you make them. The mojito recipe I posted is just a standard one. I personally prefer it with double rum, less sugar and more lime. It's a matter of taste.

Aha...a standard martini recipe. I was wondering if there was a special one as pretty much any mixed drink these days that's not "on the rocks" is being called a martini.

I'm not a fan of either Gin or Vodka Martinis (never developed a taste for scotch either) but the tequila one doesn't sound half bad. Especially the avacado garnish. I'll give it a shot and let you know.